Trading Leather in, Grandeur, Farraaj withdrawn from Arlington Million

Trading Leather in, Grandeur, Farraaj withdrawn from

Arlington Million

Godolphin Racing's Trading

Leather has gone from possible to probable for the Grade 1, $1 million Arlington Million,

according to the International Racing Bureau (IRB). The addition of the Teofilo

colt raises the bar on an already stellar field that is expected to

include Coolmore's Breeders' Cup Turf-winning star Magician, Ken and

Sarah Ramsey's defending Million champion Real Solution and Sam-Son Farm's 2013

Canadian Horse of the Year Up With the Birds.

Solely owned last year by legendary Irish trainer Jim

Bolger before the conditioner sold a majority of the colt to Sheikh Mohammed's

operation, Trading Leather exits his first poor performance in nearly two years

in the July 26 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

Previously, the four-year-old was second in a huge

effort in the Eclipse 21 days prior and won the classic Irish Derby last year.

Kevin Manning, his regular pilot, is expected to make the

stateside trip to ride the bay colt, who has finished in the top three in 12 of

14 starts, including six at the highest level.

While Trading Leather has been added to the list of probables, Yvonne

Jacques' Grandeur and Sheikh Ahmed al Maktoum's Farraaj have been withdrawn from

consideration for the 32nd edition of the Arlington Million as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the IRB.

Grandeur -- who is based in Newmarket with trainer Jeremy Noseda, but had

raced his previous three runs in graded stakes at Belmont Park -- was last year's

morning-line Million favorite. This year, with the waters appearing a little

deeper at Arlington, his connections have decided on a different course.

Similar can be assumed for the Roger Varian-trained Farraaj,

who is coming off consecutive wins in English handicap races and seems very much

on the improve but has yet to establish himself at the top level. His best

finish at such was a third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in 2011. Last August, Farraaj was considered for the Million, but instead

shipped to Del Mar to finish 11th of 12 in the Pacific Classic behind

Game on Dude.

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